Date: Fri, 20 Nov 1998 15:38:00 +1000

From: Franklin Peter <franklinpa@hunterwater.com.au>

Subject: Re: More than one printer

To: "'classic-post@hitznet.com'" <classic-post@hitznet.com>

>Date: Wed, 11 Nov 1998 01:54:28 +0000

>To: Classic Posts <classic-post@hitznet.com>

>From: Rebecca and Rowland <rebecca@astrid.u-net.com>

>Subject: Re classic POWERBOOKS

>

>>Date: Mon, 26 Oct 1998 17:06:05 -0700

>>From: James Jung <mac_tech@tech-center.com>

>>>Date: Thu, 22 Oct 1998 04:53:01 -0400

>>>From: Nick Canterucci <nican@ixlmemphis.com>

[snip]

I have plenty of personal experience with Printer Share and serial

printers connected to networked Macs.

You and the other contributors are correct in that you can't force a

serial printer to talk Appletalk. Printers either have the capability or

not . In general a printer has a hardware card (either built in or added

later) to enable Appletalk. Some printers such as the Imagewriter LQ

have both a serial model and an Appletalk model (I had one of each). I

still have a LaserWriter Select 300. This has no Appletalk capability

and must be connected directly to a serial port of a Mac. I presume that

your Imagewriter II and LaserWriter Select 310 are both serial printers

in the same boat.

Now, since you want to have your Macs on an Appletalk/Localtalk network

the printer port on each Mac will be busy doing that. That leaves the

modem port available on each Mac for serial devices.

This is where Printer Share will surely help. It is an extension that

bridges from printers (serially connected to a Mac) to an Appletalk (or

Ethertalk) network.

[Presumably it parcels up serial printer commands and data into Appletalk

packets, sends them across the network (Localtalk or Ethernet) to the Mac

hosting the serial printer. Then the Printer Share on the host machine

unscrambles the packet and sends it to the local serial printer.]

You must have Printer Share on BOTH ends of the print path (ie. at the

sending end and the host end) for it to work. But work it does. With

the correct printer extensions (the serial ones not the Appletalk ones)

and printershare on every machine, every machine can see and use all

printers.

I would, for what its worth (presuming that you are using system

7.something)

1 daisy chain all the Macs together using Phonenet cabling via the

printer ports

2 instal the Printershare extension on ALL the Macs that want to share

serial printers (including the host machine)

3 instal the proper serial printer driver extensions (not the Appletalk

versions) for the serial printers, on all the Macs

4 connect the serial printers via a serial cable to the modem port (the

Appletalk network is using the printer port)

5 enable Appletalk on all the Macs (Classic Appletalk will do) so that

the Macs can see each other

6 use the Chooser on the Mac (that the serial printer is connected to),

to connect the printer locally via the modem port

7 use the Chooser on all of the other Macs to select and use the printer

remotely (the host Mac needs to be running as well of course)

This means that the Macs where the serial printers are connected via the

modem port and where Appletalk is using the printer port, have all their

ports used and therefore cannot have another serial device (such as a

modem) connected unless you have a serial cable switching device as

suggested by other contributors. However if you scatter the serial

printers around the networked Macs all running Printer Share, this might

not be a problem for you.

Printer Share works at my home with Classic Networking or Open Transport,

Ethernet or Localtalk networks with System 7.5.5. I seem to recall that

it might have worked with straight 7.5. You will have to try it with

other system 7 versions for yourself.

[LaserWriter Bridge is a very useful control panel if you have

Appletalk/Localtalk-only Laserwriters such as the LaserWriter IINT, and

want to connect your Macs with Ethernet but still access the Appletalk

printer across the network. But that is another story.]

[Sorry about the spelling. I can't remember whether it's print share,

printshare, printershare or printer share - I'm sending this from work -

the Macs are at home!]